Take Up the Mantle
by chaoticlivi
Summary: Soul gives the Sorting Hat a run for its Galleons, while Maka watches with frustration and interest. Hogwarts AU.
1. Year One: The Sorting Ceremony

**Note: Hello there! I needed to try this eventually. Next chapters will certainly be longer and less, well, gloomy, but I wanted to set up a premise first.**

* * *

The less-desirable part of her House assignment was that her disgusting father had also been in Gryffindor, while her mother had been in Ravenclaw - but throughout the rest of her family tree, all of which was pure-blooded, Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were plentiful and spread quite evenly on her mother's and father's sides. She supposed she could ignore her father's existence entirely and relate proudly to her mother's sisters instead, so she did not argue when the Hat resolved its self-debate.

Maka joined her House table to friendly applause and a high-five from Black Star. From the Hufflepuff table, Tsubaki also offered a glowing smile and nod, which Maka returned. She sat to eagerly observe everyone else's Sorting - including that of the hyper, enthusiastic girl from King's Cross who absolutely insisted she would be in Slytherin, and the ridiculously sullen, silent boy from the train ride here.

* * *

"You're a tough one," the Hat muttered in Soul's mind. "It's been years since I've met someone so pigheaded about every House."

"I thought it was your job to sort, not commentate," Soul grumbled back internally.

"You do have quite the active mind," said the Hat. "And whether you admit it or not, you're always thinking about music. Ravenclaw would be a wonderful place to nurture your passion…"

"No," Soul hissed. "My family is all so damn obsessed with music, and I won't be one of them."

"Hmm…" the Hat continued as if it did not notice Soul's rudeness. "You've got the passion, and you could have the bravery...maybe Gryffindor could teach you some initiative."

"Absolutely not," Soul said out loud. He heard some tittering from his future classmates.

"Gryffindor truly is a magnificent House."

"Yeah, maybe, but not for me." Soul squeezed his eyes shut. He wasn't brave enough to be in the house known for its bravery.

"Well," the Hat said, a hint of irritation in its voice, "perhaps that loyalty could be well-employed in Hufflepuff. Might teach you to...connect with people a bit better."

"I'm not interested in relying on anyone else," Soul said, voice wavering just a little.

"The expectations are low, because people have a bit of a misconception about Hufflepuff," the Hat said, voice gruff. "But it would benefit you greatly. I believe you would be happy there."

"And I believe I wouldn't."

"Ahem," said the Hat almost angrily. "Slytherin could make use of your cunning and guile to teach you some ambition-"

"Slytherins look like a bunch of snobs over there," Soul said. "I don't wanna be any more ambitious, anyway, it's too much work."

Finally, the Hat's voice sputtered in frustration. "There are only four Houses and I have to assign you to one! I always take the students' preferences into consideration, but if I do that in your case, I'm going to have to send you home. Is that what you want, Evans?"

That statement went straight to Soul's heart and turned his blood cold. "No. No, of course not."

"Then let me do my work, and please don't interrupt again unless you're going to be helpful," the Hat growled.

Soul sat in silence, eyes closed for a full five minutes as the Hat mumbled to itself in thought. Just as students were beginning to giggle and Soul thought he might either burn to death from the embarrassment or fall asleep there on the stool, the Hat shouted.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Well, there he had it. A tattered, ratty old hat had just told him to nurture his "passion" for something he was intentionally fleeing. Soul gritted his teeth as he joined his peers (who all looked as uncomfortable as he felt), wondering what he could do with himself to fill the next seven years that wouldn't involve the piano.

He worried that this new world wouldn't be magical in the right ways.

* * *

She couldn't hide her surprise as her mouth dropped open. He had been so _dismissive_ of everything on the train. She knew the stereotype that Ravenclaws were sullen sometimes, of course, but weren't they supposed to care about knowledge? The boy had done nothing but insult her for caring about school (when he hadn't been staring out the window and, she suspected, resenting her for choosing the same train compartment as he and bringing a noisy friend as well).

Maka watched Soul Evans make his way to the Ravenclaw table, where the students - including the Headmaster's mysterious son - welcomed him with a sort of cordial uncertainty. Her curiosity remained through the rest of the Sorting. The enthusiastic girl from King's Cross, Patti Thompson, did indeed get into Slytherin, and her older sister leapt from the table to give her a hug.

_He's not worth worrying about_, she thought on the way to the Gryffindor Common Room. The negativity people like Soul Evans showed was boring, and anyway, he probably wouldn't affect her time here. She would join the Quidditch team, she would get the highest grades, she would become a Prefect...and he could spend his seven years sulking.

He still bothered her, though. She had a feeling there was more to him than she saw.

* * *

This day was just getting worse and worse.

In order to get into his own common room - his own _home_, for all intents and purposes - he was going to have to solve a riddle every single time. His was the only House that did this. What a pain in the ass. None of the other students seemed alarmed by it.

Soul had mixed feelings about the Common Room, too. It was huge and airy; it seemed sort of cold to him, and lacked the coziness he had expected of a place called a Common Room. It was clear from the number of bookshelves filled to the brim with tomes that there were book nerds all over the place. Why hadn't that dweeby girl from the train ended up here? It would have been perfect for her.

On the other hand, the room itself was very beautiful, reminiscent of a castle in the clouds. Out the windows, the entire castle and the grounds of Hogwarts were visible. The setting sun cast a pink and orange glow across the land and forest, and the moon was already a full circle of light, steadily gaining strength.

It was lovely, but he didn't belong here. He wasn't friendly enough for Hufflepuff, wasn't ambitious enough for Slytherin, wasn't brave enough for Gryffindor, wasn't smart enough for Ravenclaw. His magical blood had been some kind of mistake. Did reverse-Squibs exist, people with magical blood who were meant to be muggles? Perhaps he would be the first.


	2. Year Seven: Christmas

**Note: In case you missed the announcement on my Tumblr, I have decided to do this story in the form of numerous, out-of-order drabbles like Odat's office AU. Hopefully a consistent theme will emerge over time, but until then, everything is going to be bite-sized. Happy holidays, everyone, and thanks for your support this year once again!**

* * *

It was the night before the Winter Gala and Maka was among the towering shelves of the library studying a book about ancient runes when her best friend sidled into the seat across from her. The table was small, barely more than a desk, and when she looked up, his cheeks were dusted with uncharacteristic pink, as though he'd been running through the cold air.

She grinned at the frazzled Ravenclaw. "Hey, Soul. What's the matter?"

"Huh?" He frowned. "No, nothing's wrong. I was just - do you wanna hang out at the Winter Gala?"

Maka narrowed her eyes, as though that would help her understand without having to resort to a question. "Are you - are you asking me…?"

"Only - well - you don't have to," Soul finished lamely. This was more flustered than she'd ever seen him. "Just figured - it might be good not to go alone."

Maka couldn't have avoided giving him a grin if she wanted to. "Yeah, obviously. We'll have fun, right?"

They met just outside the Great Hall. Her formal robes were a deep red, frilled with white, chosen partly because they seemed appropriate for the season and partly because they brought out the color of her eyes; his robes were a dark forest green, simple and clean-cut, probably chosen for the same reasons. It wasn't clear whose eyes caught the other's first, but they nodded politely to each other and moved with the crowd into the dark entrance of the cavernous dining-room-turned-ballroom. Her cheeks were hot because she didn't know whether this was supposed to be a date, and she wondered if his were rosy for the same reason.

Professors Mjolnir, Tlipoca, and Azusa - with Kid's help - seemed to have outdone themselves decorating. Instead of the four House tables, the Hall was filled with numerous smaller tables, everything from the floors to the tables to the walls colored white like snow. The ceiling was displaying a clear night sky speckled with stars, and lanterns floated in the air to cast a glow like firelight. Snow appeared to be falling, but it was an illusion, neither cold nor wet.

"Whoa," Maka murmured upon their arrival as they stood, robe sleeves touching. "It's beautiful." Soul nodded. "But are there assigned seats?"

She gave him a flat look.

"What?" he asked, just as flatly.

"I'm trying to _enjoy_ it, Soul."

He stuck his tongue out like the mature adult he'd become. "Just wanna make sure we're at the same table."

"Oh, good point," she said. "Let's see if we can just choose where we want to go."

They sat without incident, no protests from anyone and no assigned seating visible at the table. Students seemed to have no trouble choosing tables by friend groups, as in time, Soul and Maka were joined by Tsubaki, Black Star, Liz, Patti, and Kid.

This time two years ago, Maka would have danced with nearly everyone (possibly at once) while Soul sulked at the table. But now, all the others had become a bit more serious, had paired off to varying degrees, and were not available to bounce around merrily in circles. Soul was still looking kind of stoic, she noticed, but when he caught her watching, he rearranged his face into a more playful smirk.

Maka raised her eyebrows in a meaningful look, glancing toward the open space that the dancers occupied and then back to Soul's eyes. He squinted for a moment, then sighed.

"Okay, I already know what you're gonna tell me. We can go." When Maka sprung from her seat, all smiles because that had been far easier than she expected, he added, "But no killing my feet!"

"That was years ago," she said. "I'll be fine."

Maka's dancing was not fine.

"Makaaaaaaaaaa," Soul whined after she stepped on him for the fifth time. She chuckled and patted his arm; maybe this music was just too fast for her to keep up with when she didn't understand how to coordinate to a beat in the first place. She was going to lose her breath and her dress robes weren't exactly comfortable for dancing, but she was determined to keep Soul out here for as many songs as possible.

And then, for better or worse, a slow song began. He looked at her with a question written in his brow, but he didn't try to leave, nor did she, and they were able to slow down the pace enough that she could avoid stepping on him.

Seeing Soul's face and chest highlighted by the luminescent floating lanterns and the magic snowfall as they clumsily danced was surreal; something warm and powerful and a little scary filled her heart. She had to crane her neck a bit to look up at him - when had he become so tall? - and he was looking at her intensely, red eyes accented with the gold light.

"Hey. Let me lead?" he asked, a gruff murmur from between his sharp teeth and parted lips.

Maka nodded, pausing so they could recalibrate their holds to give him more leverage. She didn't expect him to pull her that much closer, but gingerly he did, and she leaned in all the way, resting her head on him. It was hard to pinpoint what he smelled like. It was probably just cologne. "Sweet" and "spicy" didn't quite cover it.

She was just getting comfortable, just calming her heart and settling into his embrace as they found a workable rhythm, when the song ended. They stared at each other many seconds afterwards, but the lights came on to signal the end of the gala, and the moment passed.

* * *

Twenty-four hours after the end of the Winter Gala, Maka found herself a hundred miles away, at home in her old bedroom, gazing out the window and writing a note.

_Dear Soul,_

_It's officially the 25th, so... Merry Christmas! I miss our tradition. Staying at school with you on Christmas was always fun. But I'm also glad we finally decided to face our families this year. Good luck at dinner tomorrow! Send Oni to let me know how everything goes. I'll see you on New Year's Eve._

_-Maka_

She attached the note to Angel's feathery leg. The owl gave a soft hoot before Maka ushered her out the window. Somewhere a block or two away, there was a bang, like a car backfiring, and Maka started before taking a deep breath and shutting the window.

She had barely changed into pajamas before she heard a soft _pfffff, pffffff_ sound against the window. She looked over and saw another snowball break against the glass. Cautious but curious, she peered out.

And there, at the edge of the light given by a streetlamp, stood Soul, up to his ankles in snow, silently using his wand to direct snowball after snowball at her window. Maka waved, then crept downstairs past her father's room. The chill in the night air stung.

"There's a door, you idiot," she said fondly when she was close enough to him.

"Didn't want to deal with your father this time," Soul answered. A very confused Angel chose this moment to land on his shoulder with Maka's letter; the owl shot her a look before Soul took the delivery.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea you were coming and wrote a letter to you," Maka said sheepishly, partly to Soul and partly to the owl.

"That's alright. I left your gift at school this morning, because this was kind of a last-minute idea," Soul said, the trace of an apology in his voice, "but I didn't plan this. I thought it might be nice just to say hello, since we usually would be seeing each other."

Maka stepped forward and embraced him through all their layers of clothes. "Thanks. We can exchange gifts at the New Year celebration. I'm glad you came to say hello, though I'm wondering how you got here."

"Knight Bus," he said into her hair. His breath was warm and her heart skipped a beat. Had he kissed the crown of her head? "It's completely insane, but it is simple," he continued as if nothing had happened.

"Hey Soul?" she said.

"Hmm?"

She pulled back, the better to see his face. "What do you want to do? Go for a walk? There's not much, at midnight."

He regarded her with the same look he'd worn while they danced. "Maka?" he asked after a few beats.

"Yeah?"

He brought his hand to the side of her face and slowly, so slowly, leaned toward her. She could see his wispy breaths in the crisp air, and he could almost certainly see hers.

"Can I?" he asked, a mere whisper, when his lips were so close she could feel their heat against her own. He'd clearly done _something_ to give his breath a hint of peppermint.

She closed the distance between them and lingered on his mouth, chaste but warm. Not wanting to stay still, nor wanting to take any chances, they kissed lightly over and over again. The same feeling she'd had while dancing last night took hold, and he held her tenderly through another kiss, this one a bit deeper than the last.

"That's what I wanted to do," he said finally, nearly out of breath. "I should go home before someone gets worried, but I - I'm sorry I missed my chance last night. When we were dancing."

Maka grinned. "You didn't. We were both nervous."

And after she had seen him off again on the Knight Bus ("You again? Already?" asked the driver), Maka slept well, heart curled contentedly around the feeling of that moment in the snow.


	3. Year 5 January:Care of Magical Creatures

**This was written for SoulxMaka Week 2015 on Tumblr. The theme was "Dragon."**

* * *

They were on the coolest field trip ever - a trip to New Zealand, of all places! - but thanks to the Portkeys Professor Free coordinated, they didn't have to stay for very long, and they would only get to miss about one day of classes.

It was a bright summer dawn here, and the sun spilled over the hills, not quite reaching the depths of the valley yet. Maka probably had enough energy to bound ahead of all her classmates, but she chose (he had a feeling, anyway) to stay toward the back of the pack with Soul. He groused about her energy level to cover up his appreciation.

"Okay, kids, you gotta be quiet now," Professor Free stage-whispered from where he'd stopped up front. "Anyone who speaks gets quiet with magic. We don't wanna attract attention." He brandished his wand threateningly.

As if on cue, a pair of enormous pearly wings unfolded in the misty valley.

Some students, Maka included, couldn't hold back gasps. They were given a warning look from the professor, but the dragon either didn't hear them or didn't care as it took flight, rose like a ghost from the fog and landed on the crown of a tall tree. It crouched and bobbed its head, eyeing something hidden out of the class's sight.

Antipodean Opaleyes may have been known for their nonaggression, but it still made Soul want to grab Maka's hand and run. He almost had a heart attack when another dragon rose from the fog with a bellowing roar; it pursued its partner, who had taken swiftly to flight and uttered a number of deep rumbles. Did dragons laugh?

"Amazing," Maka whispered as Free gave up on keeping everyone silent. She was already moving in the direction the dragons had gone. Did the girl have no sense of self-preservation? "They're like angels."

Soul had to dash forward to keep up with her. Only when she turned back and gave him a mischievous look did he realize she was goading him to follow. Her chuckles reminded him of the dragon teasing its mate.


	4. Year One: September 15

In retrospect, it was too quiet. There were too many students out on the sunny grounds today, and he shouldn't have said it out loud into his boring library book, but he did it anyway. "Why couldn't I be in literally any other House?!"

It was really just a murmur, an experiment with ways to get some of his frustrated energy out. But he clearly hadn't been quiet enough, because from the armchair behind his, a familiar voice said: "What are you talking about? Ravenclaw is amazing!"

Soul turned, craning his neck to give its speaker a nonplussed stare. Sure enough, it was that argumentative, pigtailed Gryffindor from half of his classes, peeking out from her own chair.

"My mama was a prefect there," she elaborated. "It's a great House."

"Uh, okay. No offense to your mother, but it's kind of depressing. All anyone does is read and be quiet." In fact, people did play music and make many other noises at times, practicing their abilities, but he left that part out.

"Except the ones who are out doing other things - _they're_ not just reading and being quiet," Maka answered, already flushing with indignation. "And Merlin forbid you should have to _think_ about things now and again."

Oh, no. She had a chip on her shoulder and she was taking it out on him. Soul frowned. Who could she possibly think she was, lecturing random innocent people in the library? "Look, nerdbrain. If it's so great, then why aren't _you_ in my House?"

It didn't make her huff and turn away, as he hoped, because he was so right. Instead, she just narrowed her eyes. "What is that supposed to mean? You snob!"  
"What?" he asked, far more offended than he would have predicted and pushing aside doubts and flashbacks to things his parents' friends would say. "I'm not - you're the one who's all high and mighty on books, school, learning, all that crap! I'm just not here to sit around and read all the time."

"I already told you," she said, bullying her armchair around so she could see him better, settling in for the long argument, "that's not Ravenclaw. You don't even know your own House. And for your information, I was calling you a snob because you never have anything good to say about anything. Nothing's ever good enough for you. You should just be a Slytherin."

Soul's head swam at the onslaught of hostility. He buried the idea that perhaps it was only reflected rather than generated by this know-it-all girl who somehow insisted that he was the snobby one. Along with Slytherins. He'd gathered for the past couple of weeks that they had a reputation, but the ones he'd met had seemed...well, 'snobby' was definitely not the word he would use.

"I like things," he tried.

"Really? Name one thing you really, really like."

"Food," Soul said.

"Nice try," she answered with an irritating, smug grin, "but most people like food because you need it to live. Try something else."

He gave Maka a long-suffering eye-roll. "Um. I dunno. Music."

"Hmm." Her mouth twisted with uncertainty. "What kind? Do you play an instrument, or are you just saying that because everyone likes music, too?"

"I did – I used to play. Now I don't. But I still like listening a lot. I think it is a bit different for me than most people." He regretted those last few words for their entitled sound, but they couldn't be taken back.

"Really." She lifted her eyebrows, and something in her expression immediately opened up. "What do you mean?"

He didn't know why he was telling all this to her, so he stopped. "Eh. I dunno, it's hard to say. I don't...really want to talk about it."

Maka cocked her head to the side, curious.

"But it is something I like, so you can't say I hate everything."

Maka pursed her lips; it made Soul nervous. She was judging him. Of course, people around here were rarely this interested in him at all. He was about to turn back to his book and try to pretend none of this had happened when a smile slowly lit up her expression.

"You got me there," she said, and held out her hand. "I'm Maka. Nice to meet you."

"We've met," he answered, confused.

Maka shook her head, her pigtails swaying. "No. We've argued. I want to introduce myself _properly_."

Soul shrugged and took her hand. What an odd person, so ready to fight and be friends. "I'm Soul. It's nice to meet you, too."


End file.
